KaiserSea1

I was always amazed that consumer reports listed our hat trick convertible the most reliable car save none. Well we got the title when Lexus retired the LS430 and now that they are retiring the SC430, the title is passed down to the Porsche Boxster. I stopped by my local Porsche dealer to see how it stacked up to an SC.

I hate to call a car a girls car given the flack we get, but I have never seen the Boxster, or SLK as a car a guy would drive. The version that won the reliability award is a full second slower to 60 than our SC with only 245hp. I never understood Porsche making the 914, 924, and Boxster. You pay 55K for a ragtop, plastic interior, in a car that looks like they purposely built it to scream, this guy can't afford a 911 getting the owner no respect.

The car felt underpowered, a bit cheap, but was surprisingly roomy, and had reasonable storage front and back. There is an S version which is quite a bit faster, available with an upgraded interior, but it lacks the reliability, and still looks like a castrated 911.

Still nothing out there sub 80k to make me want to trade in lucky.

tromly

Good thread, great analysis! To me there has never been another car like our SC! I'll never know what people see in Porsche , as their interiors are so lacking .

KaiserSea1

Now the bad news. Both the IS and Gs rated worse than average for reliability. Hyundai, Buick, Acura, Honda, caddy, subaru, scion, and ford did not have any car in the lineup below average. Worst brands included Audi and Jag.

cjs18

To be a little more specific, the models that hurt Lexus ratings most were IS250 convertible, GS all-wheel-drive and the GX. If those units were out of consideration the overall company rating would have been far more favorable. Almost every other Lexus model was predicted to have 20-40% better reliablity than average.

EJC

Interesting take on things.
Now take one out for a drive.

The Boxster handles like it's on rails. take it through an auotcross and it is FLAT through the turns. The suspension is simply marvelous. The mid-engine, 50/50 wt distribution is a joy to drive. Acceleration is very good, the "S" is better.

The SC is a totally different car. A luxury tourer and a pleasure to drive. Get rid of the run flats and the handling improvement is a logrythmic change.

The 911 on the other hand is a beast. Personally I don't like the rear end bias. But an awesome car.

It comes down to do you want a grand tourer or a sports car.

Last summer I had the chance to try several hi end cars at Lime Rock w/ the Skip Barber Hi Performance School. These included Caymans, 911, M3s and ISFs, No SC was in the group, but the car that became my favorite was the ISF. Gobs of power, great handling, and extremly comfortable.

aw3964

Boxster reliability? I owned a 99 boxster a while back. Do a search on "boxster intermediate shaft failure" aka IMS failure. Nowadays, the repairs truly cost more than purchasing another used boxster.

There should have been a recall.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Someone told me that Porsche is the # 1 rated German MFG now.

The stock Boxster is more fun to drive than the SC, albeit may not sweep you off your feet to say it's dramatically faster or better because it is so different-material wise, option wise, handling wise, etc etc. I agree with Kaiser that the dash/console/seats are not as luxurious-but that's also like saying the Miata isn't as plush as the SLK. Look at the price difference between a new SC in 2010 and a base Boxster. I don't think Porsche wants to get too plush, or they may loose their niche. If you wanted a more plush German sports car-you might consider a Z4, M3, SL, SLK, CLK, A5 Cabrio, etc.

I have driven numerous current models of the Boxster and Boxster S recently as I almost bought one last summer and can tell you that the Boxster S is definitely a full notch or two ahead of the SC in performance and handling. I drove one with the chrono package, red middle console, red stitching on black leather seats, red seat belts, Bose, heated seats, 911 turbo wheels, etc etc. and although it didn't seem as plush and luxurious as our SC's, I kinda forgot about that when I was catching a G around a corner doing about 60 with no prob that I normally take in the SC at 40 and pray I don't flip! LOL

Kaiser-good comparo, but still apples and oranges. When are you going to test the G37 convertible? I still think it and the 335CI hard top convertibles are the SC's closest replacement today IMO.

If you have kids or grandkids or anyone else you need to take along with you it's nice having "A" backseat in the SC. To me, the hardtop, the backseat add two very functional and important features to the SC that the Boxster doesn't have. Because I have a five year old son who loves to cruise with Dad with the top down, I had to get the luxury cruiser---otherwise I'd be in a 2005+ Boxster S with the aforementioned packages in either Fly Yellow or Guards Red on black!!!

KaiserSea1

We have different taste.

I thought the Stock Boxster was no fun at all. Perhaps like everything else they are better in Texas. I have been a passenger in an S and that drove pretty amazing. The S also had a leather dash which made a huge difference. Still looked intentionally cheap. The base boxster I would put in a performance class with a Civic.

Our local Infiniti dealer in a new beautiful dealership went belly up. They don't sell to well down here. The only convertible BMW I have tried was an M6. One of the nicest cars I had ever driven. Repair history was just to scary. I compare the Lexus and Porsche because they are the only premium brands to really nail reliability. If BMW or Audi ever get their act together there would be some tough decisions to make.

stevelaw

One year ago I got rid of my 2002 SC430 and bought a 2009 911S Cabriolet. After a full year, I couldn't be happier with the 911. Here are my comments I posted after getting the 911 and comparing to my SC:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/5225885-post26.html

Hard to believe I still lurk here, but I have not found a Porsche website that even closely compares to the great folks at this site!

huy33

Who are you and what did you do with the real Derek?

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

Let me get this straight... the Boxster is the most reliable car on the planet? What's the highest mileage Boxster around? It seems that most Porsche drivers baby their cars and only weekend them on sunny weather. If one were to be daily driven racking up 15-20k miles a year in various weather conditions (salty winters, etc.), how well would they stack up? Now how well would it stack up in 10+ years with 150-200k miles?